Pair Victorian silver-mounted horn beakers

Pair of Victorian silver-mounted horn beakers with glass bases. London 1889 by Hubert Thornhill. The silver mounts on the rim of the beakers are struck with the full hallmarks for London 1889 as well as the mark for Hubert Thornhill. On one of the two beakers, the HB mark is overstriking another. Hubert Thornhill was the active partner of Walter Thornhill and Co at that time, who were a thriving and highly popular company acting as retailers as well as manufacturers of novelties and many unusual objects which were all produced to an extremely high standard. It was common practice for many of the novelties and other objects in silver sold by Thornhill's to be actually manufactured by other companies which had the same high standards of quality. Manyof these objects were designed and registered by Thornhill's although manufactured elsewhere. For a highly detailed account of Walter Thornhill and Co, see volume I of "The Directory of Gold and Silversmiths Jewellers & Allied Traders 1838-1914" by John Culme.

Horn beakers such as these were used prolifically by parties going shooting or fishing, or for picnics, especially during the Victorian and Edwardian periods.